An Artist-Led Collective
William Cook
Printmaker
Bio: William is a self-taught Northwest printmaker and painter, who has shown in artistic spaces around Puget Sound. Previously he played in five bands, most notably in the Americana duo Spoonshine, and he worked as a touring musician until he married and started a family—and found that the visual arts were better suited to domestic life. William works in different forms of printmaking with a focus on linocut and monotype.
On creative process: “Painters will get what they call white fright of looking at a white canvas and just being frozen. I don’t really get that. I have the opposite problem. I generally feel like I have so many ideas and there’s so much subject matter, and I have so many sketches to work from that I feel like I’m more running to catch up to the train.”
On purpose: “Art has given me—not to sound corny—but a purpose, a cause. It serves as a tool of maintaining mental health and having a practice that keeps me focused on something positive in life.”
On creative community: William teaches printmaking and painting classes at Happy Time Studio, Kirkland Arts Center, North Bend Art & Industry, and Postmark Center for the Arts. As a member of Seattle Print Arts: “I show my work in group and solo shows, and I know many artists in the surrounding area that I keep in touch with.”
On local hidden gems: “I’m very grateful for the wonderful trail systems on Tiger, Squak, and Cougar Mountains. Lately I’ve really been enjoying the lesser-known areas of Lake Sammamish State Park, where I’ve started plein air painting in oils as part of my art practice.”
Hometown: Burlington, Washington
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